Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO Office, Jakarta and UNESCO Representative to the Philippines paid a courtesy visit and meeting on 5 June 2018 in Manila, Philippines with Dr. Maria Catalina E. Cabral, National President of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) and at the same time the Undersecretary for Planning and Public-Private Partnership of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Philippines.

The courtesy visit and coordination meeting envisaged to discuss the possible collaboration and support specifically from the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Inc. to UNESCO Office, Jakarta. The on-going implementation of the ‘Better Life for Out-of-School Girls to Fight Against Poverty and Injustice in the Philippines” project of UNESCO Office, Jakarta with financial support from Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) could be an avenue of possible collaboration and support particularly in the design and construction of the Girls Education Centre component.

Director Shahbaz Khan during the courtesy visit and meeting introduced UNESCO as well as the function of Jakarta Office as the Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific and as Cluster Office for Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Timor-Leste. The salient details and background of the project was also shared to Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral and her team. On how PICE can get involve and support the project being piloted in Tacloban City and its vicinity was presented and discussed.

Specifically, UNESCO is seeking to engage and request professional technical inputs, support and guidance from PICE in order to deliver a well-designed and well-constructed Girls Education Centre. Also, the said Girls Education Centre must be of international standard and disaster resilient.

The courtesy visit and meeting generated a very positive response from the PICE National President and DPWH Undersecretary and provided suggestions and thoughts to actualize the collaboration and support between UNESCO and PICE.

Amongst the items that were discussed as a matter of actions to pursue and concretize the collaboration and support are: (a) develop and execute a memorandum of agreement between UNESCO and PICE outlining the collaboration in supporting the design and construction of the Girls Education Centre in Palo, Leyte, Philippines; (b) UNESCO Office, Jakarta to delegate a staff to present the salient details of the project and of Girls Education Centre to the upcoming meeting of PICE National Board of Directors to secure needed support which will be held in Iloilo City, Philippines on 12 June 2018; and (c) continue working on securing the possible collaboration and needed support of PICE in the design and construction of the Girls Education Center as one of the major component of the project.

Director Shahbaz Khan delightfully welcomed the positive response and was very pleased to note the potential collaboration and support from PICE through its National President and thanked Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral for welcoming and accommodating UNESCO’s team. This will be a laudable partnership between these two institutions in supporting the project that will contribute to the education and well-being of out-of-school girls especially those learners of Alternative Learning System.